A Wake-Up Call

There’s an inherent danger in becoming good at what you do.

You get complacent.

We all do this. We master a task, skill or craft, and then we relax because we’re churning out pretty decent work. Or, we get overwhelmed with other stuff and turn our attention elsewhere, believing that we can continue to do what we do so well, practically in our sleep.

And it can be a very rude wake-up call when our work is rejected or criticised. The ego takes a hit, especially when it involves something we are passionate about and know we’re good at.

But instead of taking it as a slap in the face (after all, you are a master at what you do, how dare anyone insult your magnificence!) take it – with a big huge heartfelt thank you. THANK your critics for pointing out that you’ve become complacent, or that your skills aren’t keeping up with the rest of the universe, or that you’ve misdirected your time and energy and you’re overwhelmed trying to do it all and your passion has slipped through the cracks.

Even if you didn’t notice it was happening, others did.

Wow, what a blessing, to be made aware!

Business owners especially have so many hats to wear that we can forget to focus on what we’re really good at. And by focus, I mean practice what we’re good at. Keep learning, keep pushing, keep challenging. Never stand still as still water becomes stagnant very quickly. Don’t let your skills become rusty through neglect. Keep yourself sharp, even if it means a financial hit of having to hire help so you can focus on your passion. In the end, the ROI is far greater if you do what you should be doing versus what you could delegate or outsource.

It’s not easy to swallow your pride when your work is rejected or criticised, but when you look beyond the emotions of the moment and you realise just how much of a blessing it is to be told that you could be doing something better… I hope you can see what a great opportunity you’ve been offered to get your spark back!

Whether you work for someone else or you’re an entrepreneur, never believe yourself “good enough.” Not only do you endanger your position or your business by becoming complacent, but you stagnate, and that’s the worst kind of mental death. How boring, to be good at something you were good at in 1997. Be great at something in 2014! Reach higher!